Musings, Machinations, and Maul
by His Majesty the Emperor
Summary: I should be worried. I should be angry. I should be beside myself with homicidal rage for this obvious blunder on my part. But I'm not. The situation is all too amusing.


_Did you ever wonder what Palpatine was thinking when he was sitting behind his desk at the end of Revival? I did. This is my take on what happened just after the end of revival from Palpatine's point of view._

_I do not own Star Wars. It is the property of George Lucas. I am making no money off of this at all. Please leave a review  
_

I had not foreseen this.

Like the Jedi, I had been convinced that Maul had expired at the hand of Kenobi on Naboo those many years ago. Evidently I had been mistaken. That alone should have been grounds for concern. My precognitive abilities, combined with my natural affinity with the Darkside had never failed in the past. Everything had always proceeded according to plan without complication, without deviation.

I had _not _foreseen this.

At first, I try to dismiss my concern at this obvious problem. I am almost tempted to believe that which I told Kenobi. Let Maul play amongst the rabble. He is no threat. Not to me anyways. He can't stop that which I have set in motion. Let him kill Jedi. Let him loot and pillage his way across the galaxy with that brother of his. It is of no consequence to my machinations.

NO! No, there must be a reason. There must be a reason why Maul has resurfaced, especially at this critical juncture in my plans.

This is a message, a warning from the Darkside. My path to victory is assured, but I have allowed myself to become, arrogant.

_Arrogance:_ the deadly sin that has condemned every Dark Lord before me.

Malak

Vitiate

Exar Kun

Marka Ragnos

Each one met their gruesome fates differently from each another. But one constant factor was the unraveling of their plans: arrogance. They had grown secure in their power, believing that no one or no thing could ever hinder them. And look what became of them. All dead.

Yes, yes this is a message. I have become sloppy, leaving such loose ends untied. I can never assume anything, and I can never underestimate anyone. It could be my undoing, the undoing of the Sith.

I should be worried. I should be angry. I should be beside myself with homicidal rage for this obvious blunder on my part. But I'm not. The situation is all too amusing.

To think that Maul fancies himself a Dark Lord of the Sith! My replacement. _Please_. I plan to rule this galaxy. The only thing Maul is capable of doing with the galaxy is hitting it repeatedly in the face. Maul is a brute, a wild nexu with a thirst for blood. And while his skills with a lightsaber are proficient and his physical strength is commendable, he is certainly _lacking_ in key areas. And that is how it should be. I trained him as an assassin, someone who could deal with my enemies in a brutal and efficient manner while Plagueis and I dealt with the more long term aspects of the Grand Plan. Now that I think about it, assassin is far too generous. Maul was an errand boy, nothing more, nothing less. He was a placeholder, a tool who served my immediate purposes until such time as I could find someone better.

In order to be a true Lord of the Sith, one must have patience, subtlety, and cunning on one's side. In order to survive in a galaxy crawling with Jedi, one must be covert and intelligent. Maul has none of this. Maul is a blunt, impatient creature who wouldn't know subtlety even if it came up and bit his hand.

But Maul knows none of this. He thinks that all it takes is brute force to win the day. He couldn't be more wrong. To defeat your enemy, you must have both brains and brawn on your side. Something _I_ have in spades.

For now, I am content to let Maul play his little game. He will make for an excellent distraction. The Jedi will waste their time and energy on a wild bantha chase as they scour the galaxy in search of him, all the while unaware of the Dark Lord sitting in their very midst. The Dark Lord they call Chancellor. _Their leader_. Oh, how sweet irony is.

Even now, though he thinks himself free, Maul is still my puppet, serving my purposes, just like everyone else in this war.

But Maul _is_ a loose end, one that I must tie up eventually. But how shall I deal with him? Dooku cannot be trusted to handle this delicate matter, and Grievous lacks the skill.

I suppose I shall have to deal with Maul and his brother myself.

I look over to one of the statues that adorn my office. In a secret chamber located deep within the statue lies my lightsaber, an artificial manifestation of my power and rage. "Soon my friend," I find myself whispering to the hidden saber, "soon you will taste first blood."

Yes, Maul and Savage will fall upon my blade, followed shortly by the Jedi and their beloved Republic. The galaxy shall be mine, and I shall rule for all eternity. I just have to be careful.

Despite this minor inconvenience, everything will still proceed according to plan.


End file.
